Fundamental Contradictions in Cultural Competence (Report‪)‬

What could possibly be amiss with the idea of cultural competence (CC), that is, social workers possession of "a knowledge base of their clients' cultures" and ability to provide "services that are sensitive to clients' cultures" (NASW, 2000a, p. 9)? After all, CC sounds as inviting and benign as an Indian samosa, an Irish scone, or American apple pie. The social work literature is rich in its discussions of CC, and such discussions are evident in texts that discuss international social work (Healy, 2001), social policy (van Wormer, 1997), human behavior (Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2006), and micro social work practice (Leigh, 1998).The most recent Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) (2008) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards mandate schools (accredited by CSWE) to educate students at the bachelor's and master's levels on 10 core competencies, two of which emphasize the influence of culture on identity and human development (core competencies 4 and 7, respectively). Although the notion of CC has received some critical commentary (see, for example, de Anda, 1997, for a range of opinions), the place of CC in the U.S. social work curriculum appears relatively uncontested.